A Nigerian woman, Benedicta Usen, also known as Carol Omomoh, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Federal High Court in Abuja for human trafficking and promoting prostitution.
Justice Inyang Ekwo delivered the judgment on Monday, ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt on all eight charges brought against Omomoh.
The judge sentenced Omomoh to two years and six months in prison for counts one, three, five, and seven, while counts two, four, six, and eight carried a five-year sentence each. All sentences will run concurrently, starting from February 3, 2025.
In his remarks, Justice Ekwo condemned Omomoh’s actions, calling her “a barefaced liar, a crooked and dishonest human being.” He noted that her denial of the evidence against her, despite her earlier confession to the police, revealed her as a manipulative individual engaged in trafficking young and vulnerable women into prostitution abroad.
“The evidence also exposes her as being in the business of procuring young vulnerable women like Miss Cynthia Omoieke for prostitution abroad,” the judge stated. “People like the defendant must be taken out of society for good.
Omomoh was charged by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2019. She was accused of conspiring with another suspect, Oyomiya Lamidi (who is still at large), to traffic Cynthia Loveth Ese Omoieke to Italy via the United Kingdom in 2011.
The prosecution argued that Omomoh and Lamidi recruited and transported Omoieke using deception and by exploiting her vulnerability. Their actions violated Section 27 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration (TPPEA) Act of 2015.
Despite pleading not guilty, the court found Omomoh guilty on all charges after the prosecution presented two key witnesses.
The ruling is seen as a significant step in Nigeria’s fight against human trafficking. Authorities have been cracking down on traffickers who exploit young women for forced labor and prostitution in foreign countries.
With this conviction, law enforcement agencies hope it will serve as a deterrent to others involved in similar criminal activities. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to apprehend Omomoh’s accomplice, Lamidi.
